I don't own any of these characters or anything else that's familiar, and
the song is by Nirvana
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*******
Lance just hung up the phone with Kitty when he flopped down on the busted up couch with his head in his hands. It had probably been the worst conversation he had in his life. She had basically told him that she was going to go back to live with her parents and decided not to continue on in a relationship that would never work out.
He disregarded the burning sensation behind his eye lids and rubbed the sockets with the palm of his hands. He had truly loved her, he had tried to join the X Men, he had tried to get good grades, he had tried everything but found himself with nothing. He might as well have not tried at all. But he thought about it and grudgingly admitted that because of her his grades were better at school, as well as his attendance and he thought twice before doing anything that was illegal.
He sighed and lay back on the couch, wondering how life would be without his Kitty. He thought vaguely about Tabby but erased it from his memory that was a no no. He wanted someone who would stay with him; Tabitha was the epitome of the 'Love 'em and leave 'em' type. He decided to just stay solo for awhile and wait until he found someone like Kitty. She was the perfect girlfriend and no one could top her.
***
The next day was the hardest day by far. It was Kitty's last day and he had bought her a ring with her name on it, saving for it by working at a garage over time. It was supposed to symbolize the next serious step of the relationship, but he just gave it to her as a memory of him and had her promise to call him soon. He would miss her.
Suddenly a thought entered his mind; it was as if the second Austin Powers movie flashed before his eyes. "I'm single again baby! Yeah!" He had truly loved Katherine Pryde, but he immediately accepted the ending of their relationship and began to walk around the school strutting his stuff. Kitty had just left fifteen minutes before and Scott stared as Lance flirted with each and every girl in his path.
"That guy has no scruples." Rogue rolled his eyes at her comment.
"Oh Please! She's gone ya idiot and she broke up with him, ah think he has a right to move on with his life." She grabbed her books and left the table, intending to go to the library. She took out a book called "The History of Rock" and went to her next class early, wanting some free time for herself.
Lance walked in and sat down beside her. "Hey Rogue." Rogue looked up, gave a small smile and returned to her book. "I read that book ya know."
"Oh, you know how ta read?" Rogue wasn't in the mood for his chatter and tried her best to ignore him, finding it difficult since he was looking over her shoulder at the book. She sighed gratefully when the teacher entered the classroom and she was forced to pay attention. She suddenly felt a paper ball hit her on her shoulder.
She turned to the direction it came from and saw Lance making hand movements. She sighed and opened the crumpled up paper.
'Want me to rock your world?' was written in surprisingly neat print. Rogue smiled evilly and wrote on her own sheet of paper, she folded it into a triangle and flicked it towards him, he caught it easily. He opened it with glee.
'Want me to get naked and crawl all over your body staying there until you turn into a coma like state and than die?' Lance stared at the note and wondered how she wrote that in under three seconds. He than wrote under it and flicked it back at her, this time it hit her on her head. She opened it and sighed.
'At least I'll die during my deepest fantasies.' Rogue ripped the notes into what seemed a million pieces and threw them on his desk on her way to the bathroom. She was suddenly stopped by Toad.
"Hey Rogue, Lance is mad sad that Kitty left, yo." Rogue rolled her eyes and continued walking. Toad heard her mutter "coulda fooled me." But he decided it was just his imagination.
***
Rogue turned down Scott's invitation on giving her a ride home and decided to walk. She should have known better because suddenly a grinning Lance fell into stride beside her.
"Didn't you and Kitty just break up?" Lance nodded still grinning. "Aren't you heart broken?"
"I felt bad for awhile but realized it was for the best." He clutched his heart and gave her a large genuine smile; Rogue couldn't help but smile back. She needed to have her head checked; Lance was the most annoying person in the world. "So Rogue, what are you doing tonight?"
"Ah'm gonna wash my hair."
"Good it's about time; in fact you should top it off with a bath." He covered his head when her hand swatted at him. He started laughing. "How about I join you? You wash my back and I'll wash every other part of that beautiful white body." The remarked earned him another swat.
"Lance by any chance did ya drive your jeep today?" Lance stopped walking with her and she continued on. The grin on her face having rivaled his own. She looked back and saw him running towards the school again, that made her day.
***
That evening she received a phone call, thinking it was Risty she didn't bother waiting for confirmation and just started talking about how Lance had been annoying her that day.
"Ah swear if Mr. Mah Hairs Outta Style harasses me again, ah'ma give him somethin' to remember me by." The distinct sound of cracking knuckles caused Lance to chuckle unfortunately that blew his cover. "Lance? Lance is that you? Oh mah goodness!"
Lance started laughing hysterically into the telephone. "You talk about me to your friends Rogue? Why I'm flattered!" Rogue hung up the phone and didn't answer it.
Scott grabbed the phone when she continued to ignore its ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hi this is Lance, is Rogue there?"
"Yes, why do you want to talk to her?"
"Cause she's Kitty's room mate, so I figured she was the next step up." Scott hung up the phone. After two more times of hearing Lance on the other line he ignored it.
Slowly but surely, each of the X Men took their turns on answering the phones until they were all used up, including Logan who threatened to no avail. They let the phone continuously ring until the professor began 'screaming' in their heads to pick up the phone.
Rogue grew tired of it, picked up the phone on the next ring and screamed like a banshee into the receiver.
"Kurt? Are you, like, all right?" She realized it was Kitty and handed the phone to Kurt who teleported with the cordless to his room. No other phone calls were received.
***
The next day Lance smiled at the glares the X Men were giving him at school. He waved at them and than walked up to Rogue whose head was in her locker trying to hide from him.
"There's only one chic I know who wears mesh. And that's you baby cakes." Rogue closed her locker and raised an eyebrow.
"You've been askin' Toad for pointers on how ta get a girl?" Lance chuckled and put his arm around her.
"Why don't I walk you to class snookums?" Rogue tried hard not to smile, but when he began to poke at her cheek, she blushed and bit her lip. He was seriously getting to her.
After school Lance caught up with her when she once again walked home, this time for staying after school after Lance had thrown her another letter in class and she had been caught throwing one back, thankfully it was just a plain balled up piece of paper.
"I walked today." Rogue looked up at the sky and prayed for divine intervention, unfortunately she was not appeased and was stuck having him walk her home. Apparently she must have angered the gods because it started to rain and she found herself forced to invite Lance to dry up inside. It would be an understatement to say the X Men weren't pleased.
"What the hell is Pebble doing here?" Scott shouted.
"It was raining outside Leela." Everyone was laughing at Lance's referral to the one eyed girl from Futurama. Scott fumed and left to find Logan.
Logan walked in and Rogue quickly dragged Lance to her room before he could catch them.
"Couldn't wait to get me alone?" Rogue rolled her eyes and made sure the lock was on. "I think I should tell you," Lance sat on her bed and folded his hands together while innocently staring down at them. "This is gonna be my first time," he whispered.
"Oh shut up you dummy, ah brought you here to save your rotten life, unless you want to die at Logan's hands." She pretended to open the door and laughed when Lance threw himself on the floor.
"Oh please, please no! I promise to do anything! I'll even suck your toes!"
"Eww!" Rogue grabbed a towel and handed it to him. Lance got up from the chair and began to slowly take off his vest; he ran his fingers sexy like through his wet hair.
"Oh goodness." Rogue went into the closet until Lance told her he was done. She screamed when she saw him only wrapped in the towel and sprawled on Kitty's bed.
Lance's grin quickly faded away when he heard the banging on the door.
"Open up Stripes!" Lance quickly put his clothes back on and hid underneath the bed.
Rogue rolled her eyes and allowed Logan to enter. Logan sniffed the air and then got on his hands and knees and sniffed the floor. As soon as Lance screamed she realized he had been caught. Lance flew out the room and out of the house, all people felt was the wind that wheezed by them.
"Was that Pietro?" Tabitha asked. Rogue who had followed him down, sat next to her.
"No that was Lance, Logan found him under my bed." Tabitha nodded and continued to watch her soap opera.
***
The next day proved to be uneventful, Lance hadn't shown up to school that day and Rogue was surprisingly saddened. She even asked Pietro what was wrong.
"I-don't-know-Roguey. He-mentioned-something-about-getting-the- flu." Rogue nodded and decided to go to their house to see how he was doing after school.
She arrived there and was greeted warmly by Fred and Toad that should have been her first clue. She was led to the dimly lit room that belonged to Lance. On a night stand was a bowl of soup and some ginger ale. She walked over and saw his eyes half closed and his face pale.
"Oh Lance, what happened?" She sat down on the bed and touched his face with her gloved hand. Lance attempted to speak a few times, mostly croaking.
"I think it was the rain." He mumbled. Rogue leaned in wanting to peer into his eyes, when suddenly a hand was at the back of her neck. Lance yanked her down and kissed her. Rogue was too surprised to do anything for a few seconds; suddenly she remembered and felt the pull of her mutation.
He let her go and she backed away, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She ran off ignoring the laughter that followed her. The smirking looks on the rest of the brotherhood faces irked her in an ill way and she regretted the last few days with a passion.
***
The next day Lance regretted having moved so fast. She was avoiding him, not writing back. He hadn't meant to kiss her, it was supposed to be a joke, but he couldn't control himself. The sweet concern he had only received once before and she was gone.
He didn't like Rogue or anything he just suddenly found her interesting. That thought got him confused. He had just jumped the gun when he decided to bother her that was all he was doing right? Bothering her?
The questions were making his thoughts go to places he preferred not to. So he just went to his last class which was also with Rogue and decided to apologize. When the teacher wasn't looking her sent her a note and aimed it at her head, so she wouldn't be able to ignore him. He winced at her glare but was happy that she opened it.
'Sorry about last night. Couldn't help myself. You mad?' Rogue looked at it and began to write her hand seeming to a blur across the pages. She took aim, with her tongue between her lips and threw it. Her aim was true; it hit him in the eye.
'Now your sorry! You could've avoided this whole thing yesterday! You have no idea what it's like to not touch anyone for your whole life except the people you've hurt.' Lance reread the letter and than turned towards Rogue, he saw her red nose and regretted having done what he did the night before.
After class he stopped her and licked his lips not knowing what to say. Rogue just stared at him trying to look calm, it just made him uneasy. The teacher had left leaving them alone and Lance just continued to stare at the floor, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He gulped and than looked up and found himself entranced by her eyes.
Rogue was startled at the intensity that emanated from Lance, she took a slight step back but he took one forward. Lance swallowed again and than kissed her, this time not stopping until he felt weak at the knees, not only by the mutation but by the wet warmth of her mouth.
Rogue's eyes filled with tears when she opened them. She shoved him away and ran out of the school ignoring his calls. She ran all the way to the institute and brushed her teeth, stepping into the shower and standing under the sharp pricks of cold water. She had never felt more humiliated.
His thoughts had entered her mind. She saw the sadness of Kitty leaving than the joy of being single again. Than she saw his mild curiosity at her person and the developing obsession of whom she really was. While she didn't feel uneasy at his longing to get to know her, she also saw the way he was beginning to like her. And she refused to allow someone to get so close so that the minute they realized that the closest they'd ever get to her, is through her clothes and have them leave her without a thought.
She decided to avoid him as much as possible. No need to make things worst than they already were.
***
Lance almost yelped when he cut the palm of his hand on a thorn from the roses that grew on the hidden ladder at the institute. He should have remembered about that since he had come here plenty of times to get Kitty. He knocked on the window and smiled gleefully at the sight of a half-asleep Rogue, wearing a thin cotton slip as a night gown and a pair of short white gloves she had just pulled on.
Wow she's so pale, not that that's bad, he thought. But it's not like I care, I mean she could use a tan, he tried to convince himself.
Rogue peered out the closed window and almost screamed in annoyance. She yanked it open and pulled his ear.
"Ow, Ow! Rogue please, ow that hurts!" He tried to hold on to the ladder but his ear was hurting like crazy.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She enunciated every word quietly so as not to wake the others.
"I just came to talk!" He squealed.
"To talk? You wanna talk you stupid crack pipe! Talk to the ground." She pulled her hand away from his ear and started to pry his fingers off of the ladder.
"Rogue! Stop! I'd like to reach the age of twenty two please!" Rogue stopped and crossed her arms.
"Fine! Talk!"
"Can I at least come inside?" His face was scrunched up from the pain still ringing in his ear; Rogue pitied him slightly and decided to give in just once more. She stepped back and sat on her bed. Lance followed in and continued to rub his ear while Rogue scowled at him.
"Well?" She asked. Lance sighed and sat down beside her.
"Okay here's the truth, I don't know why I came here." Rogue stayed quiet so he decided to just express his thoughts. "When Kitty left I felt bad for a day, but she looked so happy that I figured she moved on so I did too. I don't know why I started bothering you but I did and I like it." He gave her a grin and Rogue rolled her eyes.
She was confused herself. She had been fine with her life a few days ago, and now she didn't know what to think. Risty was telling her to stay away from him, that he was no good but this was something she disagreed on. Lance suffered from bad association, well almost, he did have his evil tendencies.
"Hey Rogue?"
"Hmmm?" She was still deep in thought.
"You took that bath yet?" Rogue's hand shot out, but this time Lance got out of the way in time. He kissed her quickly on the lips and climbed out the window. A loud crashing sound was heard outside. She looked out the window and saw Lance running from Scott. Red beams were being shot everywhere; she winced when she saw Ororo's favorite rosebush explode.
She went to her bed and stared up at the ceiling wondering what she had done wrong to deserve what was going on in her life. She made a late night phone call to someone who would understand.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kitty, ah need a favor." Rogue closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.
"K, go ahead." Kitty sat up straight from her bed and wondered what would cause Rogue to call her past midnight; luckily she had convinced her parents to get her a personal line.
"Look Kitty, ah need ta know how ya feel about Lance." Kitty's giggle gave her a small glimpse of hope.
"That is so, like, over. Didn't Kurt tell you?"
"Uh, no." Rogue practically heard Kitty blush over the phone.
"Well, we're like, a couple now."
"What?"
"Well, yeah, like, I didn't really wanna tell Lance that I liked Kurt so I just, like, told him part of the truth. I really didn't see anything between us in the future."
"Okay."
"Why you ask?"
"Nothin'."
"Let me find out that you and Lance, like, have something going on." When Rogue didn't say anything, Kitty pulled the receiver away from her ear and stared at it as if it had grown legs. The giggles commenced. "I cannot believe it. You and Lance."
"Ah do not like Lance! He's an idiot."
"Sure, anyway it's late, I'll call you tomorrow and look, don't feel bad if you like Lance, I mean he is cute." The giggle turned Rogue off and she quickly said her good byes and hung up the phone. She dreamt that night of Lance and blamed it on indigestion.
***
Lance walked into the brotherhood house smiling and whistling, Pietro who never slept for more than three hours a night stared after him as he climbed up the stairs.
"Hey-Lance-how'd-you-get-that-hole-on-your-butt?" Lance turned around and saw a hole, its ring singed.
"One eye." Pietro nodded and continued to watch the television. He than had a thought and followed Lance to his bedroom.
"Wait-a-minute-what-were-you-doing-over-at-the-geek-institute? Kitty-isn't-there-anymore." Lance shrugged and Pietro jumped to a conclusion, he leaned against the door frame and smirked. "From-one- geek-to-another? I-thought-better-of-you."
Pietro rubbed the tip of his nose which met the door after Lance slammed it. He grinned like a maniac and went back to watch the Japanese television show that he had grown to love.
***
The next morning Lance found himself banged against the wall with a fuming Rogue in front of him, he tried to smile but stopped himself at her glare.
"You got me in trouble ya idiot! Ah have danger room session today because of your little escapade last night!"
"Sorry?" He offered the apology and groaned when he caught sight of the other X Men. They were walking towards him with a fierce look on their faces. "Sorry Rogue, but this is my cue to go." He quickly pulled her hands away, for a minute touching her skin.
Rogue cringed but she noticed that Lance didn't even flinch. Most people would have been screaming their heads off though her mutation didn't manifest until exactly sixty seconds passed. She wondered if perhaps he really didn't care about her mutation.
Rogues screech echoed through the hallways and she ran to Lance who had turned around at it. With the little bit of memory she had on Cody's tackling techniques she knocked him to the ground and straddled him, holding his vest in her hands.
"What are ya doin' to me?" Lance just looked at her, the fear creeped out of his eyes and a smile fell into place. She likes me, he thought.
"I'm just being nice Rogue." The mock innocence in his voice got to her. She leaned her head on his chest in frustration and lay there not thinking of the compromising position. Her team mates just watched her, wondering if she had finally lost her sanity.
Lance on the other hand loved every minute of it, he gave Scott a thumbs up sign. Scott marched over to them and yanked Rogue back by the arm, dragging her to English with him. Jean glared at Evan and Kurt who thought the whole thing was funny. Kurt who had never shown any kindness towards Lance offered him a hand up.
"I think you should be careful man, Scott vasn't too happy last night." Lance gave him a grin.
"There's nothing Cyclops can do to stop me. I'm gonna get her if it's the last thing I do." He walked away, determined to win Rogue over. He figured if he liked her, that was enough. No need to think about love and stuff, it was too complicated.
***
Kitty got all the details from Kurt on Rogue and Lance's romance. She thought it was highly amusing to hear all of Lance's antics in getting Rogue to pay attention. She was slightly jealous that he hadn't gone through that much trouble for her, but was glad that her friend had someone to crush on her instead of the other way around.
Rogue had often told her during their late night conversations on how she had had a little crush on Lance when she was at the brotherhood. She had gotten over it when she met Scott and began crushing on him. Lance at the time had liked Kitty. Kitty had a theory that Rogue allowed herself to have feelings for guys she knew she could never get, it made her untouchable for a reason but now Lance was giving her an open invitation and Rogue didn't like it because she was liking it.
Kitty had to explain that last sentence a couple of times to Kurt before he could understand. She sighed and was glad that her life wasn't as complicated. When she liked someone, she did and that was it. She was pulled away from her thoughts when she saw the tasty meal her mother had placed in front of her.
"This is, like, the real reason I wanted to come home, I miss real food!"
***
Rogue sat in class early as usual and read the new book she had borrowed from the library. She was lost in its words describing the impossible romance between a vampire and a human when she suddenly heard the strumming of a guitar. She knew who it was and she wished the ground would swallow her up when the rest of the students minus the teacher entered the class.
"Great an audience. This song is dedicated to Rogue over there." They looked at him confused. "You know, the one with the streaks." They all turned to her and Rogue felt the urge to just die of embarrassment and call it a day. Lance smiled at her and sat on the teacher's desk. "This is how I feel about you." He blew her kiss and his voice was loud and clear as he sang the song she would never ever want anyone to connect with her.
"One baby to another says I'm lucky to've met you I don't care what you think unless it is about me It is now my duty to completely drain you I travel through a tube and end up in your infection
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours 'Cause I like you
With eyes so dilated I've become your pupil You've taught me everything without a poison apple The water is so yellow I'm a healthy student Indebted and so grateful vacuum all the fluids
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours 'Cause I like you, you, you, ...
One baby to another says I'm lucky to've met you I don't care what you think unless it is about me It is now my duty to completely drain you I travel through a tube and end up in your infection
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours Sloppy lips to lips You're my vitamins 'Cause I'm like you"
The classroom just stared horrified at Lance. Rogue gathered her books and quietly left. She was stopped before the she left the school by a hand on her shoulder.
"So did you like it?" Rogue looked at him with sad eyes.
"Is your life goal to rub what ah can't have in my face?" Lance dropped his hand and Rogue left. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad, that wasn't his what he had wanted. He decided to make it up to her. He had to.
***
Rogue saw Lance sitting out her window, he was throwing pebbles at it, trying to draw her attention. When he saw her he smiled. Rogue was wary of him already and her green eyes filled with tears. He was making her too sensitive for her own good. He held up a box of pizza and a black shopping bag that she assumed were movies. She sniffed and opened the window.
Lance came in and sat on her bed, Rogue quietly went to the mirror and pulled her short hair into a ponytail, pinning her bangs back with some hair clips Kitty had left behind. She went to the closet and pulled out a thin sweater and pulled it over her head to cover her bare arms, she didn't worry about her legs since Lance had long pants and socks on.
She inserted a tape and crawled under the covers, while they ate her favorite kind of pizza, pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. He had often bought her a slice of that when he pissed her off at the Brotherhood house.
Lance pulled her in and put his nose to her hair, he smelled the shampoo and wondered which kind was it. He took in more deep breaths relishing in her scent. Kitty had always smelled of beauty products but Rogue smelled, well like Rogue. He grinned and called her name.
"Rogue?" He asked quietly, she turned up to him and her face paled. He leaned in and kissed her, her powers began to pull him in but he wouldn't let go. She felt the battle between Lance and her power with every move his lips made. Her skin tried to pull him in but he seemed to resist, she couldn't understand. When he pulled away he was breathing hard.
"Wow." Was all he said.
"How'd ya do that?"
"I don't know. I felt it pulling my mind, so I pulled back. Like a mental tug of war." Rogue leaned back and closed her eyes. She smiled and opened her eyes.
"Ah can touch." She whispered to herself. Lance grinned.
"Oh yeah." He leaned in and kissed her again and again and again.
***
The next morning Lance found himself against the wall held by his collar with Logan sniffing him in every place possible. Rogue was tugging on his arm and begging for mercy on Lance's behalf. Logan was satisfied not to smell anything that identified with two young people of the opposite sex sleeping in the same bed.
"I give ya three seconds ta get out of here, Mullet or I'll kill ya." Lance was gone before he finished the sentence.
"Was that Pietro?" Tabitha asked for the second time that week. Rogue repeated her previous answer when she entered the kitchen, this time with a smile on her face.
"No that was Lance."
Lance just hung up the phone with Kitty when he flopped down on the busted up couch with his head in his hands. It had probably been the worst conversation he had in his life. She had basically told him that she was going to go back to live with her parents and decided not to continue on in a relationship that would never work out.
He disregarded the burning sensation behind his eye lids and rubbed the sockets with the palm of his hands. He had truly loved her, he had tried to join the X Men, he had tried to get good grades, he had tried everything but found himself with nothing. He might as well have not tried at all. But he thought about it and grudgingly admitted that because of her his grades were better at school, as well as his attendance and he thought twice before doing anything that was illegal.
He sighed and lay back on the couch, wondering how life would be without his Kitty. He thought vaguely about Tabby but erased it from his memory that was a no no. He wanted someone who would stay with him; Tabitha was the epitome of the 'Love 'em and leave 'em' type. He decided to just stay solo for awhile and wait until he found someone like Kitty. She was the perfect girlfriend and no one could top her.
***
The next day was the hardest day by far. It was Kitty's last day and he had bought her a ring with her name on it, saving for it by working at a garage over time. It was supposed to symbolize the next serious step of the relationship, but he just gave it to her as a memory of him and had her promise to call him soon. He would miss her.
Suddenly a thought entered his mind; it was as if the second Austin Powers movie flashed before his eyes. "I'm single again baby! Yeah!" He had truly loved Katherine Pryde, but he immediately accepted the ending of their relationship and began to walk around the school strutting his stuff. Kitty had just left fifteen minutes before and Scott stared as Lance flirted with each and every girl in his path.
"That guy has no scruples." Rogue rolled his eyes at her comment.
"Oh Please! She's gone ya idiot and she broke up with him, ah think he has a right to move on with his life." She grabbed her books and left the table, intending to go to the library. She took out a book called "The History of Rock" and went to her next class early, wanting some free time for herself.
Lance walked in and sat down beside her. "Hey Rogue." Rogue looked up, gave a small smile and returned to her book. "I read that book ya know."
"Oh, you know how ta read?" Rogue wasn't in the mood for his chatter and tried her best to ignore him, finding it difficult since he was looking over her shoulder at the book. She sighed gratefully when the teacher entered the classroom and she was forced to pay attention. She suddenly felt a paper ball hit her on her shoulder.
She turned to the direction it came from and saw Lance making hand movements. She sighed and opened the crumpled up paper.
'Want me to rock your world?' was written in surprisingly neat print. Rogue smiled evilly and wrote on her own sheet of paper, she folded it into a triangle and flicked it towards him, he caught it easily. He opened it with glee.
'Want me to get naked and crawl all over your body staying there until you turn into a coma like state and than die?' Lance stared at the note and wondered how she wrote that in under three seconds. He than wrote under it and flicked it back at her, this time it hit her on her head. She opened it and sighed.
'At least I'll die during my deepest fantasies.' Rogue ripped the notes into what seemed a million pieces and threw them on his desk on her way to the bathroom. She was suddenly stopped by Toad.
"Hey Rogue, Lance is mad sad that Kitty left, yo." Rogue rolled her eyes and continued walking. Toad heard her mutter "coulda fooled me." But he decided it was just his imagination.
***
Rogue turned down Scott's invitation on giving her a ride home and decided to walk. She should have known better because suddenly a grinning Lance fell into stride beside her.
"Didn't you and Kitty just break up?" Lance nodded still grinning. "Aren't you heart broken?"
"I felt bad for awhile but realized it was for the best." He clutched his heart and gave her a large genuine smile; Rogue couldn't help but smile back. She needed to have her head checked; Lance was the most annoying person in the world. "So Rogue, what are you doing tonight?"
"Ah'm gonna wash my hair."
"Good it's about time; in fact you should top it off with a bath." He covered his head when her hand swatted at him. He started laughing. "How about I join you? You wash my back and I'll wash every other part of that beautiful white body." The remarked earned him another swat.
"Lance by any chance did ya drive your jeep today?" Lance stopped walking with her and she continued on. The grin on her face having rivaled his own. She looked back and saw him running towards the school again, that made her day.
***
That evening she received a phone call, thinking it was Risty she didn't bother waiting for confirmation and just started talking about how Lance had been annoying her that day.
"Ah swear if Mr. Mah Hairs Outta Style harasses me again, ah'ma give him somethin' to remember me by." The distinct sound of cracking knuckles caused Lance to chuckle unfortunately that blew his cover. "Lance? Lance is that you? Oh mah goodness!"
Lance started laughing hysterically into the telephone. "You talk about me to your friends Rogue? Why I'm flattered!" Rogue hung up the phone and didn't answer it.
Scott grabbed the phone when she continued to ignore its ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hi this is Lance, is Rogue there?"
"Yes, why do you want to talk to her?"
"Cause she's Kitty's room mate, so I figured she was the next step up." Scott hung up the phone. After two more times of hearing Lance on the other line he ignored it.
Slowly but surely, each of the X Men took their turns on answering the phones until they were all used up, including Logan who threatened to no avail. They let the phone continuously ring until the professor began 'screaming' in their heads to pick up the phone.
Rogue grew tired of it, picked up the phone on the next ring and screamed like a banshee into the receiver.
"Kurt? Are you, like, all right?" She realized it was Kitty and handed the phone to Kurt who teleported with the cordless to his room. No other phone calls were received.
***
The next day Lance smiled at the glares the X Men were giving him at school. He waved at them and than walked up to Rogue whose head was in her locker trying to hide from him.
"There's only one chic I know who wears mesh. And that's you baby cakes." Rogue closed her locker and raised an eyebrow.
"You've been askin' Toad for pointers on how ta get a girl?" Lance chuckled and put his arm around her.
"Why don't I walk you to class snookums?" Rogue tried hard not to smile, but when he began to poke at her cheek, she blushed and bit her lip. He was seriously getting to her.
After school Lance caught up with her when she once again walked home, this time for staying after school after Lance had thrown her another letter in class and she had been caught throwing one back, thankfully it was just a plain balled up piece of paper.
"I walked today." Rogue looked up at the sky and prayed for divine intervention, unfortunately she was not appeased and was stuck having him walk her home. Apparently she must have angered the gods because it started to rain and she found herself forced to invite Lance to dry up inside. It would be an understatement to say the X Men weren't pleased.
"What the hell is Pebble doing here?" Scott shouted.
"It was raining outside Leela." Everyone was laughing at Lance's referral to the one eyed girl from Futurama. Scott fumed and left to find Logan.
Logan walked in and Rogue quickly dragged Lance to her room before he could catch them.
"Couldn't wait to get me alone?" Rogue rolled her eyes and made sure the lock was on. "I think I should tell you," Lance sat on her bed and folded his hands together while innocently staring down at them. "This is gonna be my first time," he whispered.
"Oh shut up you dummy, ah brought you here to save your rotten life, unless you want to die at Logan's hands." She pretended to open the door and laughed when Lance threw himself on the floor.
"Oh please, please no! I promise to do anything! I'll even suck your toes!"
"Eww!" Rogue grabbed a towel and handed it to him. Lance got up from the chair and began to slowly take off his vest; he ran his fingers sexy like through his wet hair.
"Oh goodness." Rogue went into the closet until Lance told her he was done. She screamed when she saw him only wrapped in the towel and sprawled on Kitty's bed.
Lance's grin quickly faded away when he heard the banging on the door.
"Open up Stripes!" Lance quickly put his clothes back on and hid underneath the bed.
Rogue rolled her eyes and allowed Logan to enter. Logan sniffed the air and then got on his hands and knees and sniffed the floor. As soon as Lance screamed she realized he had been caught. Lance flew out the room and out of the house, all people felt was the wind that wheezed by them.
"Was that Pietro?" Tabitha asked. Rogue who had followed him down, sat next to her.
"No that was Lance, Logan found him under my bed." Tabitha nodded and continued to watch her soap opera.
***
The next day proved to be uneventful, Lance hadn't shown up to school that day and Rogue was surprisingly saddened. She even asked Pietro what was wrong.
"I-don't-know-Roguey. He-mentioned-something-about-getting-the- flu." Rogue nodded and decided to go to their house to see how he was doing after school.
She arrived there and was greeted warmly by Fred and Toad that should have been her first clue. She was led to the dimly lit room that belonged to Lance. On a night stand was a bowl of soup and some ginger ale. She walked over and saw his eyes half closed and his face pale.
"Oh Lance, what happened?" She sat down on the bed and touched his face with her gloved hand. Lance attempted to speak a few times, mostly croaking.
"I think it was the rain." He mumbled. Rogue leaned in wanting to peer into his eyes, when suddenly a hand was at the back of her neck. Lance yanked her down and kissed her. Rogue was too surprised to do anything for a few seconds; suddenly she remembered and felt the pull of her mutation.
He let her go and she backed away, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She ran off ignoring the laughter that followed her. The smirking looks on the rest of the brotherhood faces irked her in an ill way and she regretted the last few days with a passion.
***
The next day Lance regretted having moved so fast. She was avoiding him, not writing back. He hadn't meant to kiss her, it was supposed to be a joke, but he couldn't control himself. The sweet concern he had only received once before and she was gone.
He didn't like Rogue or anything he just suddenly found her interesting. That thought got him confused. He had just jumped the gun when he decided to bother her that was all he was doing right? Bothering her?
The questions were making his thoughts go to places he preferred not to. So he just went to his last class which was also with Rogue and decided to apologize. When the teacher wasn't looking her sent her a note and aimed it at her head, so she wouldn't be able to ignore him. He winced at her glare but was happy that she opened it.
'Sorry about last night. Couldn't help myself. You mad?' Rogue looked at it and began to write her hand seeming to a blur across the pages. She took aim, with her tongue between her lips and threw it. Her aim was true; it hit him in the eye.
'Now your sorry! You could've avoided this whole thing yesterday! You have no idea what it's like to not touch anyone for your whole life except the people you've hurt.' Lance reread the letter and than turned towards Rogue, he saw her red nose and regretted having done what he did the night before.
After class he stopped her and licked his lips not knowing what to say. Rogue just stared at him trying to look calm, it just made him uneasy. The teacher had left leaving them alone and Lance just continued to stare at the floor, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He gulped and than looked up and found himself entranced by her eyes.
Rogue was startled at the intensity that emanated from Lance, she took a slight step back but he took one forward. Lance swallowed again and than kissed her, this time not stopping until he felt weak at the knees, not only by the mutation but by the wet warmth of her mouth.
Rogue's eyes filled with tears when she opened them. She shoved him away and ran out of the school ignoring his calls. She ran all the way to the institute and brushed her teeth, stepping into the shower and standing under the sharp pricks of cold water. She had never felt more humiliated.
His thoughts had entered her mind. She saw the sadness of Kitty leaving than the joy of being single again. Than she saw his mild curiosity at her person and the developing obsession of whom she really was. While she didn't feel uneasy at his longing to get to know her, she also saw the way he was beginning to like her. And she refused to allow someone to get so close so that the minute they realized that the closest they'd ever get to her, is through her clothes and have them leave her without a thought.
She decided to avoid him as much as possible. No need to make things worst than they already were.
***
Lance almost yelped when he cut the palm of his hand on a thorn from the roses that grew on the hidden ladder at the institute. He should have remembered about that since he had come here plenty of times to get Kitty. He knocked on the window and smiled gleefully at the sight of a half-asleep Rogue, wearing a thin cotton slip as a night gown and a pair of short white gloves she had just pulled on.
Wow she's so pale, not that that's bad, he thought. But it's not like I care, I mean she could use a tan, he tried to convince himself.
Rogue peered out the closed window and almost screamed in annoyance. She yanked it open and pulled his ear.
"Ow, Ow! Rogue please, ow that hurts!" He tried to hold on to the ladder but his ear was hurting like crazy.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She enunciated every word quietly so as not to wake the others.
"I just came to talk!" He squealed.
"To talk? You wanna talk you stupid crack pipe! Talk to the ground." She pulled her hand away from his ear and started to pry his fingers off of the ladder.
"Rogue! Stop! I'd like to reach the age of twenty two please!" Rogue stopped and crossed her arms.
"Fine! Talk!"
"Can I at least come inside?" His face was scrunched up from the pain still ringing in his ear; Rogue pitied him slightly and decided to give in just once more. She stepped back and sat on her bed. Lance followed in and continued to rub his ear while Rogue scowled at him.
"Well?" She asked. Lance sighed and sat down beside her.
"Okay here's the truth, I don't know why I came here." Rogue stayed quiet so he decided to just express his thoughts. "When Kitty left I felt bad for a day, but she looked so happy that I figured she moved on so I did too. I don't know why I started bothering you but I did and I like it." He gave her a grin and Rogue rolled her eyes.
She was confused herself. She had been fine with her life a few days ago, and now she didn't know what to think. Risty was telling her to stay away from him, that he was no good but this was something she disagreed on. Lance suffered from bad association, well almost, he did have his evil tendencies.
"Hey Rogue?"
"Hmmm?" She was still deep in thought.
"You took that bath yet?" Rogue's hand shot out, but this time Lance got out of the way in time. He kissed her quickly on the lips and climbed out the window. A loud crashing sound was heard outside. She looked out the window and saw Lance running from Scott. Red beams were being shot everywhere; she winced when she saw Ororo's favorite rosebush explode.
She went to her bed and stared up at the ceiling wondering what she had done wrong to deserve what was going on in her life. She made a late night phone call to someone who would understand.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kitty, ah need a favor." Rogue closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.
"K, go ahead." Kitty sat up straight from her bed and wondered what would cause Rogue to call her past midnight; luckily she had convinced her parents to get her a personal line.
"Look Kitty, ah need ta know how ya feel about Lance." Kitty's giggle gave her a small glimpse of hope.
"That is so, like, over. Didn't Kurt tell you?"
"Uh, no." Rogue practically heard Kitty blush over the phone.
"Well, we're like, a couple now."
"What?"
"Well, yeah, like, I didn't really wanna tell Lance that I liked Kurt so I just, like, told him part of the truth. I really didn't see anything between us in the future."
"Okay."
"Why you ask?"
"Nothin'."
"Let me find out that you and Lance, like, have something going on." When Rogue didn't say anything, Kitty pulled the receiver away from her ear and stared at it as if it had grown legs. The giggles commenced. "I cannot believe it. You and Lance."
"Ah do not like Lance! He's an idiot."
"Sure, anyway it's late, I'll call you tomorrow and look, don't feel bad if you like Lance, I mean he is cute." The giggle turned Rogue off and she quickly said her good byes and hung up the phone. She dreamt that night of Lance and blamed it on indigestion.
***
Lance walked into the brotherhood house smiling and whistling, Pietro who never slept for more than three hours a night stared after him as he climbed up the stairs.
"Hey-Lance-how'd-you-get-that-hole-on-your-butt?" Lance turned around and saw a hole, its ring singed.
"One eye." Pietro nodded and continued to watch the television. He than had a thought and followed Lance to his bedroom.
"Wait-a-minute-what-were-you-doing-over-at-the-geek-institute? Kitty-isn't-there-anymore." Lance shrugged and Pietro jumped to a conclusion, he leaned against the door frame and smirked. "From-one- geek-to-another? I-thought-better-of-you."
Pietro rubbed the tip of his nose which met the door after Lance slammed it. He grinned like a maniac and went back to watch the Japanese television show that he had grown to love.
***
The next morning Lance found himself banged against the wall with a fuming Rogue in front of him, he tried to smile but stopped himself at her glare.
"You got me in trouble ya idiot! Ah have danger room session today because of your little escapade last night!"
"Sorry?" He offered the apology and groaned when he caught sight of the other X Men. They were walking towards him with a fierce look on their faces. "Sorry Rogue, but this is my cue to go." He quickly pulled her hands away, for a minute touching her skin.
Rogue cringed but she noticed that Lance didn't even flinch. Most people would have been screaming their heads off though her mutation didn't manifest until exactly sixty seconds passed. She wondered if perhaps he really didn't care about her mutation.
Rogues screech echoed through the hallways and she ran to Lance who had turned around at it. With the little bit of memory she had on Cody's tackling techniques she knocked him to the ground and straddled him, holding his vest in her hands.
"What are ya doin' to me?" Lance just looked at her, the fear creeped out of his eyes and a smile fell into place. She likes me, he thought.
"I'm just being nice Rogue." The mock innocence in his voice got to her. She leaned her head on his chest in frustration and lay there not thinking of the compromising position. Her team mates just watched her, wondering if she had finally lost her sanity.
Lance on the other hand loved every minute of it, he gave Scott a thumbs up sign. Scott marched over to them and yanked Rogue back by the arm, dragging her to English with him. Jean glared at Evan and Kurt who thought the whole thing was funny. Kurt who had never shown any kindness towards Lance offered him a hand up.
"I think you should be careful man, Scott vasn't too happy last night." Lance gave him a grin.
"There's nothing Cyclops can do to stop me. I'm gonna get her if it's the last thing I do." He walked away, determined to win Rogue over. He figured if he liked her, that was enough. No need to think about love and stuff, it was too complicated.
***
Kitty got all the details from Kurt on Rogue and Lance's romance. She thought it was highly amusing to hear all of Lance's antics in getting Rogue to pay attention. She was slightly jealous that he hadn't gone through that much trouble for her, but was glad that her friend had someone to crush on her instead of the other way around.
Rogue had often told her during their late night conversations on how she had had a little crush on Lance when she was at the brotherhood. She had gotten over it when she met Scott and began crushing on him. Lance at the time had liked Kitty. Kitty had a theory that Rogue allowed herself to have feelings for guys she knew she could never get, it made her untouchable for a reason but now Lance was giving her an open invitation and Rogue didn't like it because she was liking it.
Kitty had to explain that last sentence a couple of times to Kurt before he could understand. She sighed and was glad that her life wasn't as complicated. When she liked someone, she did and that was it. She was pulled away from her thoughts when she saw the tasty meal her mother had placed in front of her.
"This is, like, the real reason I wanted to come home, I miss real food!"
***
Rogue sat in class early as usual and read the new book she had borrowed from the library. She was lost in its words describing the impossible romance between a vampire and a human when she suddenly heard the strumming of a guitar. She knew who it was and she wished the ground would swallow her up when the rest of the students minus the teacher entered the class.
"Great an audience. This song is dedicated to Rogue over there." They looked at him confused. "You know, the one with the streaks." They all turned to her and Rogue felt the urge to just die of embarrassment and call it a day. Lance smiled at her and sat on the teacher's desk. "This is how I feel about you." He blew her kiss and his voice was loud and clear as he sang the song she would never ever want anyone to connect with her.
"One baby to another says I'm lucky to've met you I don't care what you think unless it is about me It is now my duty to completely drain you I travel through a tube and end up in your infection
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours 'Cause I like you
With eyes so dilated I've become your pupil You've taught me everything without a poison apple The water is so yellow I'm a healthy student Indebted and so grateful vacuum all the fluids
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours 'Cause I like you, you, you, ...
One baby to another says I'm lucky to've met you I don't care what you think unless it is about me It is now my duty to completely drain you I travel through a tube and end up in your infection
Chew your meat for you Pass it back and forth In a passionate kiss From my mouth to yours Sloppy lips to lips You're my vitamins 'Cause I'm like you"
The classroom just stared horrified at Lance. Rogue gathered her books and quietly left. She was stopped before the she left the school by a hand on her shoulder.
"So did you like it?" Rogue looked at him with sad eyes.
"Is your life goal to rub what ah can't have in my face?" Lance dropped his hand and Rogue left. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad, that wasn't his what he had wanted. He decided to make it up to her. He had to.
***
Rogue saw Lance sitting out her window, he was throwing pebbles at it, trying to draw her attention. When he saw her he smiled. Rogue was wary of him already and her green eyes filled with tears. He was making her too sensitive for her own good. He held up a box of pizza and a black shopping bag that she assumed were movies. She sniffed and opened the window.
Lance came in and sat on her bed, Rogue quietly went to the mirror and pulled her short hair into a ponytail, pinning her bangs back with some hair clips Kitty had left behind. She went to the closet and pulled out a thin sweater and pulled it over her head to cover her bare arms, she didn't worry about her legs since Lance had long pants and socks on.
She inserted a tape and crawled under the covers, while they ate her favorite kind of pizza, pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. He had often bought her a slice of that when he pissed her off at the Brotherhood house.
Lance pulled her in and put his nose to her hair, he smelled the shampoo and wondered which kind was it. He took in more deep breaths relishing in her scent. Kitty had always smelled of beauty products but Rogue smelled, well like Rogue. He grinned and called her name.
"Rogue?" He asked quietly, she turned up to him and her face paled. He leaned in and kissed her, her powers began to pull him in but he wouldn't let go. She felt the battle between Lance and her power with every move his lips made. Her skin tried to pull him in but he seemed to resist, she couldn't understand. When he pulled away he was breathing hard.
"Wow." Was all he said.
"How'd ya do that?"
"I don't know. I felt it pulling my mind, so I pulled back. Like a mental tug of war." Rogue leaned back and closed her eyes. She smiled and opened her eyes.
"Ah can touch." She whispered to herself. Lance grinned.
"Oh yeah." He leaned in and kissed her again and again and again.
***
The next morning Lance found himself against the wall held by his collar with Logan sniffing him in every place possible. Rogue was tugging on his arm and begging for mercy on Lance's behalf. Logan was satisfied not to smell anything that identified with two young people of the opposite sex sleeping in the same bed.
"I give ya three seconds ta get out of here, Mullet or I'll kill ya." Lance was gone before he finished the sentence.
"Was that Pietro?" Tabitha asked for the second time that week. Rogue repeated her previous answer when she entered the kitchen, this time with a smile on her face.
"No that was Lance."